Container



y 12, :.v. E. LANGLEY" 2,886,230

CONTAINER Filed Jan. 16; 1958 INV ENT,0R.' By 1"? Luau United States Patent CONTAINER Virgil E. Langley, Edwardsville, Ill.

Application January 16, 1958, Serial No. 709,217

3 Claims. (Cl. 229-7) This invention relates generally to containers and more particularly to a container for packaging granular materials having a novel means for regulating the discharge of the contents therefrom.

Most cereals, soaps and similar granular materials are packaged in cardboard or paper containers provided with score lines at one corner thereof to facilitate opening of the container. The score lines extend across one end and a short distance into the front and back panels along the two edges of the top panel. To open the container that portion above the score line on the one end is pushed inwardly and the top panel is then pulled upwardly to sever the top panel from the remainder of the container along the score line. The granular contents of the container can then be poured freely through the resulting opening by tilting the container in such a manner that the opened corner is lower than the remainder thereof. Containers of this type have been found particularly advantageous for packaging cereals, soaps, detergents and the like but have the disadvantage that such materials flow very freely and, consequently, more of the contents than is desired is frequently discharged when the container is tilted. It has been proposed in US. Patent 2,136,338 to provide a container with a means for clos-,.

ing a discharge opening, but the closure slide provided is not adapted for closing the conventional opening described above and cannot be utilized conveniently for regulating the amount of material discharged from the container. i

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel and improved dispensing container. Another object of the invention is to provide a container having a means for conveniently regulating the discharge of its contents. Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel discharge slide for containers which permits discharge of desired amounts of free flowing powders or other granular materials. A still further object of the invention is to provide a means for discharging predetermined amounts of a free flowing granular material from a container.

Other objects will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary, perspective view, partially in section, of an embodiment of the invention showing the closure means before the container has been opened by the consumer;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary section showing in detail the position of the handle of the closure slide of an embodiment of the invention before the container has been opened by the consumer;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the corner of the container shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section showing the closure slide of an embodiment of the invention in open position; and

Figure 5 is a plan view of a closure slide forming an embodiment of the invention.

The foregoing objects and others are accomplished in accordance with this invention, generally speaking, by providing a container having a closure slide which lies against the inner wall of the top panel and one end panel of the container thereby closing the conventional opening in the container walls and having a protruding handle by which it can be pulled away from the open corner of the container as desired. In other words, the invention contemplates a container of the type which is opened at one corner by tearing along score lines in the walls thereof provided with a closure slide lying against the inner side of an end panel, across the corner to be torn open and along the inner side of the top panel to the other end where a tab protrudes from the container to permit access to the handle of the closure slide. The handle of the closure slide is folded under the adjoining portion of the slide and Within the container. Hence, the container supplied to the consumer is a compact unit having the appearance of the conventional container heretofore found particularly advantageous for packaging soap powders and detergents but having concealed therein, an efficient, economical means for regulating discharge of the contents from the container.

The container may be fabricated from any suitable material such as thin sheet metal, plastic and the like, but the most practical container is formed from. cardboard or paperboard and containers made from such materials are preferred. Likewise, the slide may be made from deformable plastic sheet or metal foil or any other suitable material, but it is preferred to make it also from paperboard or cardboard. The handle of the closure slide is preferably provided with an opening adapted to receive one or two fingers to facilitate actuation of the slide to regulate flow of the contents from the container. Adjacent the handle, is a small, usually rectangilar tab, which, as stated above, protrudes from the container at the time it is supplied to the consumer. The tab may be cemented or otherwise secured in a spot or two to the adjacent panel of the container, if desired, with any conventional paste, or glue, staple or other suitable means. The handle portion is folded inwardly until the container has been opened by the consumer. The tab provides the means for removing the handle from the container.

Referring now to the drawing for a detail description of an embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 illustrates closure slide 2 in closed position but with handle 6, which is one end of slide 2, exposed. At the time container 1, which is of the conventional design popularly utilized for packaging detergents, is sold to the consumer, slide 2 is in the position shown in Figure 1 except that end which serves as handle 6 is folded inwardly as shown in Figure 2. Tab 8 protrudes as shown in Figure 2. Usually to facilitate packing of a plurality of containers in a larger case, tab 8 is folded downwardly as shown in Figure 3 and may be spot cemented or otherwise fastened to panel 12, if desired. Panel 5 extends into tab 14- which is cemented to panel 12.

Slide 2 is cemented to panel 11 at the end of the slide below the lower dotted line in Figure 5. The slide may be bent along this dotted line. Opening 3 is provided in the slide 2 to permit flow of granular material through the slide which is of about the same width as the inner width of panels 11, 5 and 12 and would otherwise seal the contents in the container. The upper dotted line in Figure 5 represents the fold line where slide 2 is bent at an angle of in order that it will fit into the corner of the container. That portion below the upper dotted line lies against panel 11 while the portion above the dotted line lies against panel 5 When the container is closed. Opening 3 may be rectangular, elliptical, circular or any other suitable configuration. Slide 2 is supported in the container against panel by inwardly projecting tab 9.

To open container 1, the consumer presses inwardly on tab 13 'until. panel 11 is punctured along score line' 4 around the edge of tab 13. Tab 13 and the underlying portion of panel 11 .cementedthereto now may be pulled outwardly and panel 5 pulled upwardly until the side panels are torn along score lines therein and the .container is open at one corner as shown in Figure 4. vTab 14 is then pulled upwardly until the cernent'joint is broken. Tab 8 is pulled outwardly until handle 6 is exposed and can be folded upwardly to the position shown in Figure 1. In this position the container is still closed, however, because slide 2 lies against panels 5 and 11.

In order to discharge controlled quantities of the. contents of the container, container 1 is tilted into pouring position with the open corner adjacent tab 13 down. In order to achieve this, the container is grasped in' one hand with the thumb pressing against one side panel and the finger against the opposite panel and with the endpanel to which tab 14 was cemented lying in the cup of the hand. The index finger is inserted in opening 7 and slide 2 moved towards the position shown in Figure 2 by moving the index finger away from the container. The distance handle 6 and slide 2 are moved depends upon the amount of material to be discharged. As slide 2 moves away from panel llgranular material may flow through opening 3. As soon as the desired amount is discharged slide 2 is quickly moved back into the position shown in Figure 1 and further flow of material is prevented. If the amount required was underestimated, slide 2 can be moved away from panel 11 to permit any additional amount desired to flow from the container.

'It is believed apparent from the foregoing that the invention provides a simplified but eliicient means for regulating the discharge of granular material from a container and that a container having such a dispensing means offers a method of accurately controlling the quantity discharged from the container and prevents waste of the product contained therein. I v v p p I Although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing for the purpose of illustration, itis to be understood that such detail is solely to clarify the invention and that those skilled in the art can make varia tions therein 'without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as is set forth in the claims.

1. A container having end, side, top and bottom walls,

means .in one end wall adjacent its juncture with said top wall to form an opening therein, a closure slide in said container having one end fixedly secured to the end wall between said means for forming an opening and the bottom wall, said slide lying adjacent the said one end wall and extending along the inner face of said top wall, another end of said slide protruding from the container at the corner thereof formed by the juncture of the top wall and the end wall opposite the said one end wall, said slide being adapted to move with respect to the top wall as the protruding endthereof is pulled outwardly and to be pulled away from the said one end wall, said container being divided into two interior areas separated by said slide when the slide is spaced'away from the said one end wall, and access means communicating between said areas to permit the flow of the containers contents from one area to the other, said slide when in face to face relation with saidoneend wall providing a closure for said opening means.

2. The containerof claim 1 wherein 'said protruding end has an opening therein. 7

3. A container having end, side, top and bottom walls, a discharge opening in one end wall at the juncture thereof with said top wall, and a closure slide in the container lying against the inner side of the end wall having the discharge opening and extending across said opening and along the inner side'of the top wall tothe opposite end wall, one end ofsai'd slide being fiiredly's'ecured to the end wall having said opening, the other end of the slide protruding from the container between said top wall and the efid wall opposite the one having the said opening, the slide providing aclosure for the discharge opening when in closed position and haying an opening therein which is spaced away from the discharge opening in the container when the slide lies against said end wall but is spaced where it cooperates with the discharge opening when the slide is pulled outwardly by means of said protruding end of said slide whereby the containers contents can flow from the container through said discharge opening.

References'fCited in the fileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,998,862 Caruso a1. A r. 23, 1935 2,330,926 .Rous, ..OC|.. s, 1943 2,387,640 Bollchelle Oct. 23, 1945 

